The Independent

Some bands remain forever hostage to their heritage, unable to leave home either spiritually or musically. Such is the case with The Strokes. There's no evidence here that any of the five musicians, their producer, their manager, or their guru (all given equal billing in the CD booklet) has ever set foot outside the five boroughs of New York City, so rigidly in thrall are they to the city's long-faded musical glories.

The Guardian

Is This It's 11 songs are ruthlessly efficient. Every track makes its point within four minutes, then stops dead. Thrilllingly, in an era of over-padded, CD-filling marathons laden with hidden bonus tracks, interactive videos and CD-rom games, the entire album lasts just over half an hour.

The Times

Now comes the album - the chance for fans to decide whether The Strokes should stay a while or head straight back home. And the verdict? Pretty good, but not as great as we have been led to believe. Either the well brought-up band (formed, incidentally, at a Swiss finishing school by singer Julian Casablancas, whose father founded the Elite model agency) have an unexpected sense of humour, or they are simply slow starters. The album opens with title track Is This It and that's exactly what anyone hearing The Strokes for the first time will be thinking.

London Evening Standard

So will The Strokes get away with it? Of course they will - and not only because the hype machine is unlikely to give it a rest now that the album is in the sales racks. They will succeed because, however much a shameless mish-mash of influences it is, Is This It is an exhilarating album.

The Sunday Times

Is This It needs three more songs as good as NYC Cops before it can fully live up to the hype, but if you play it without exaggerated preconceptions, you'll find a solid and sometimes excellent debut album from a promising bunch of neo-new wavers.